TV Review: Demons (2009)

If one were to talk Buffy the Vampire Slayer and overlay Bram Stoker's Dracula on top of it, the result would be BBC America's new show, Demons.  The new series follows the last member of the Van Helsing line, Luke Rutherford (Christian Cooke), as he learns about his past and the evil forces he must vanquish in order to save the world over and over and over again.

Luke is the reluctant teenager who has to be schooled in the ways of evil and good, learn about doing research, and generally be trained in smiting.  Consequently, he needs a Watcher from across the pond… er..., no, that would be just too close to Buffy, wouldn't it?  What Luke needs is his godfather, Rupert – yes, just likes Giles – Galvin (Philip Glenister) from across the pond to teach him everything he knows.  No, Rupert isn't referred to as a Watcher, but his role – at least initially – is the same.  Luke also has a good friend along for the ride, Ruby (Holliday Grainger), even though no one is supposed the know the truth about who he is.

In fact, it is very hard to discuss or watch Demons without thinking of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  There are, it seems, only three main differences from the setup of that series to this one – the chosen one here is a guy not a girl, Demons takes place in England, and this one has the overlay of the Dracula tale.  The story as far as the list bit goes is that the Van Helsings are, and have been for generations on end, killers of "half-lives," or, demons, if you will.  As Rupert explains it, in reality the various half-lives aren't named as vampires or werewolves or boogey men, they are simply given a number and thus become "Type 1," "Type 2," "Type 3," and so on.

The Dracula overlay continues with the appearance of the apparently blind and semi-vampiric even if they're not called that, Mina Harker (Zoe Tapper).  Mina acts as an aide to Rupert and Luke and is aware of where, precisely, many of the files in Van Helsing's library is located.  Just as with early seasons of Buffy, plenty of time in this series seems devoted to the Slayer/Van Helsing sitting in a library researching the opponent and the opponent's history.

Article Author: Josh Lasser

Josh Lasser, formerly known as "TV and Film Guy," and complete with a Masters Degree in Critical Studies in said areas, gives his opinions on TV, Film, and Entertainment in general. All of which he does in a shameless attempt to try to get paid to do the exact same thing. …

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